Seven weeks ago, the Houston Texans hung on to a slim lead and outlasted the Indianapolis Colts for a Week 1 victory. This Sunday, the Colts (4-3) will have the chance to avenge that season-opening loss and draw level with the Texans (5-2) at the top of the AFC South standings. But it won’t be easy.
Houston is widely considered to be the best team in the division, and enters Week 8 as huge favorites to defeat their rival. The Colts, however, haven’t lost to the Texans in Texas since 2019. If they want to continue that streak, it’s going to take high-level play on both sides of the ball.
Keep it simple, stupid on offense
It's been a roller coaster ride for the Indianapolis offense this season, especially as they’ve navigated multiple injuries to key players. With Anthony Richardson back at the helm and Jonathan Taylor on track to play in Week 8, Shane Steichen shouldn’t overcomplicate the game plan. This offense can do two things very well: connect on explosive passes and run the ball with Taylor. On multiple occasions, the Colts have strayed away from those strengths. Doing so against the Texans could be a lethal mistake.
Richardson’s short-range accuracy remains a work in progress and Taylor can’t showcase his elite talent if he’s underutilized. On Sunday, the playcalling should be straightforward — a whole lot of Richardson taking deep shots or handing the ball off to Taylor behind one of the best o-lines in the league. In both of Houston’s losses this season, their defense gave up big plays through the air and on the ground, so this should be a no-brainer for Steichen.
Dominate the trenches on defense
If given a clean pocket, prolific second-year QB C.J. Stroud will tear apart the Colts’ secondary. Under pressure, Stroud is still dangerous but much more manageable. The former No. 2 overall pick had easily his worst game of the season last Sunday when the Green Bay Packers harassed him to the tune of 4 sacks and held him to just 86 passing yards. Indianapolis hasn’t been very successful at getting to the QB in 2024, but they have enough talent (Dayo Odeyingbo, Kwity Paye, Laiatu Latu and, if healthy, DeForest Buckner) to exploit Houston’s struggling offensive line.
The Indianapolis defensive line also has to face Stroud’s backfield partner, Joe Mixon. Houston’s bell cow was the first to expose the Colts’ poor run defense when he racked up 159 yards on 30 carries against them back in September. Since then, Gus Bradley’s unit has also been shredded by Josh Jacobs, Tank Bigsby, and Tony Pollard. Given their miserable track record, the odds that Indianapolis can stop Mixon are extremely low. A more reasonable ask for this defense is to prevent another career-defining performance from Mixon, which would go a long way toward slowing down an offense that's still missing their No. 1 wide receiver (Nico Collins).